Afghan war costs – the home front

Under a Republican president, and now a Democratic administration, Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., has always been cool to America’s longest war — the conflict in Afghanistan.

He delivered a come-home-America House floor speech Wednesday quantifying the war’s costs, saying:

“At a time when we’re cutting back on support for the neediest Americans, we can’t seem to face the urgent reality that the money we spend abroad needs to be spent here at home. Taxpayers in my district of Seattle have spent $1.1 billion for the Afghanistan war to date.

“For the same money, we could provide health care for 700,000 children from low-income families, put 125,000 more children into Head Start, or provide health care for 150,000 more veterans.

“So the question before us is simple: What is our priority — fighting a war with no end in sight or investing in the American people? The answer lies in what kind of country we are, what legacy we leave behind to our children and our grandchildren, and transcending political divisions towards a common commitment to making America strong again.”